


All Along

by 00FFFF



Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe, Among Us AU, Blood, Death, Gen, Murder Mystery, Paranoia, bit of gore, but it's angst, no beta we die like the bodies Tango waltzes over during streams, spaceship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28216803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00FFFF/pseuds/00FFFF
Summary: The hermits have been traveling through space for a long time already. Their ship isn’t in the best condition, but they manage. They’ve got a routine system to take care of it and themselves, and it works. With all 8 of them hard at work, they slowly make their way back to the Hermiton Space Station. They're almost home,nothingcan stop them now.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	All Along

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blueticked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueticked/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Blue!!!! I got so incredibly excited when I saw that I got you, you have no idea!! This idea had been swimming inside my head ever since we came up with the theme of the event, and I'm so so happy to finally gift you this!!!! I hope you enjoy this funky little AU, and that you have a wonderful christmas break as well!! <3

Xisuma huffs, carrying a small but heavy box from his office to the storage area. 

“Hey Scar,” He says, meeting the man in the middle of his own messy workspace. “We’ve got a new drop-off of supplies, can you sort these?” Xisuma hands him the box he’s been carrying. “And please, tidy up the shulkers from last week, okay?” Xisuma winks at him, and Scar laughs. It’s a well-known joke now, Scar and his way of keeping things ‘tidy’ and ‘organized’. 

“Don’t worry, X!” Scar immediately puts the box down. “I’ve been working on a brand new sorting system. Soon this place is going to be the prettiest and most organized room in the whole galaxy!”

Shaking his head and laughing, Xisuma leaves Scar to it. He walks back to his admin room, quickly checking everybody’s whereabouts on the virtual map.

Looks like everybody’s hard at work. Xisuma smiles and takes his seat at the table. Things are going well. They’re making good progress through this particular quadrant, and the hermits are all taking good care of the ship. Not only keeping her running and taking care of her, but taking care of themselves as well.

If all goes according to plan, they should be able to reach the Hermiton Space Station in less than three weeks. They’ve got more than enough food and fuel to get there at a steady pace, especially with the supply drop-off earlier today. Extra fuel and fresh ingredients to keep both the ship and the hermits all fed and running. It’s perfect.

Xisuma gets to work, sorting files and checking the status of the different parts of the ship. It’s almost lunchtime, and he can already smell Beef’s cooking, with his office being so close to the cafeteria.

He finishes up the last few tasks for now and gets up, stretching his arms above his head, and makes his way over to the cafeteria. Many of the hermits are there already, and Xisuma catches Impulse and Etho walking in from the west entrance, laughing as they take their dirty helmets off. 

They’re quickly joined by Tango, who ushers them to take a seat, and the three of them get wrapped up in an animated conversation. Xisuma smiles. Working in the engine and the reactor all day is dangerous and hard work. Xisuma is glad they have each other, that they can enjoy their work together so much.

Xisuma sits down with Cub and Scar, and happily digs into his meal. He jokes around about Scar’s way of ‘sorting’ their supplies, glad to hear that he’s finally working on it. Cub updates him on the course of the ship, and how their planned route through the next quadrant is looking, and at some point Tango shows up to pester Scar for the ‘lost’ box with the spare wires. 

It’s nice. Beef’s cooking is delicious as always, and Zedaph slides into the seat next to Xisuma to tell him about his effort to contact the Hermiton Space Station. Zedaph tells him he’d informed them about their progress, and that they’re making preparations for their arrival. Looks like things are shaping up for the crew.

All is well.

Until Xisuma makes his rounds around the ship later that day.

He thinks it’s a joke. He should have respawned by now, he should be in the med bay. This... this shouldn’t have happened! He should be _fine-!_

It... how did Etho not notice this? He’s in the next room over, he- He _must_ have heard Impulse scream. He must have heard _something,_ right? Just-

With shaking hands Xisuma presses a button on his communicator. 

“Everybody in the upper engine. Now.”

One by one the other hermits arrive, and one by one they fall silent as they see what Xisuma called them here for.

Impulse’s corpse. Caught up in the machinery. His blood everywhere.

Xisuma tries to ask questions but he can’t get a single word through the commotion. The hermits are yelling and wiping away tears and trying to come up with a solution to yet unanswered questions. 

But one question in particular keeps plaguing Xisuma. _Why didn’t he respawn?_ They’ve had incidents like this before. It’s inevitable, with a ship as shoddy as theirs, but the respawn mechanism would always pull the mortally wounded hermit out into the med bay before they could actually die. Did it get turned off somehow? Did it malfunction? 

Carefully, they get Impulse’s body out of the machine, and Tango and Zedaph insist that they be the ones to take him to the med bay. Xisuma lets them. No more tasks for the rest of the day, he says. They all need a break. 

Xisuma doesn’t take a break, however. He dives into the code, trying to find out what had happened to cause this... this _accident._

Morning comes before Xisuma even notices how much time has passed. The hermits dutifully return to their jobs as best they can, because even with a horrific death in their midst, they need to keep the ship running. They need to stay safe.

Besides, Xisuma is sure that he’ll figure out how to fix this sooner than later. Even if the code _says_ that nothing’s wrong, he’ll find a way. He’ll bring Impulse back. One way or another.

Still, Xisuma can almost physically _feel_ the tension when he enters the cafeteria that day for lunch. He can see how stressed Etho is when the man takes his helmet off, huge bags under his eyes, his movement twitchy. He has to work two jobs, now, taking over engine duties for Impulse, as well as taking care of the reactor.

Zedaph and Tango are sat with each other, talking softly. Scar isn’t even attempting to try and crack a joke. Even Beef is quiet as he slips into a seat opposite Etho with a plate of food of his own. He barely eats.

The day continues on.

Xisuma makes his rounds after lunch, checking up on each of his fellow crewmates personally. Asking them how they’re doing, and if there’s anything he can do to help. He offers Etho to split his tasks with him, so he doesn’t have to do it all alone. Etho declines, however, saying that he’ll get used to it eventually. 

Xisuma finds Scar in navigation, together with Cub. He’s asking questions about the controls and Cub happily indulges him, though Xisuma can hear a hint of... of _pain_ in his voice. 

Zedaph, done with transcribing the reports for the day, is keeping Tango company in the maintenance room. It’s good to see the hermits seeking each other’s company after an... _event_ like this, Xisuma thinks. 

He contemplates visiting Beef as well, though Xisuma knows that he’d rather be left alone in the evenings, taking care of the dishes and cleaning the kitchen in peace.

Tired, Xisuma returns to his office. There’s still so much work to do. Trying to figure out why Impulse, well, _died,_ added on top of his regular work. Xisuma checks the whereabouts of all the hermits. It all seems to check out with what he just saw. 

Their spaceship isn’t big, by any means. You can get around the entire thing in only a couple of minutes. But with this oppressing feeling, the stress of the situation, and one less hermit... Especially _Impulse,_ whose laughter would echo even from the midst of the engine rooms all the way to Navigation... It all feels way too big. Way too empty.

Xisuma pulls his legs up on the chair, resting his head on his knees. He... he didn’t get any sleep last night, did he? Maybe a little nap would do him good. He’ll return to his work in less than twenty minutes, he promises himself. 

Xisuma sleeps through the entire night. Unaware.

The following morning when they arrive in the cafeteria they find Beef dead.

His stomach appears almost... _torn open,_ and the blood spilling from his wounds has already dried for the most part. The edges of the wound look- Xisuma can barely keep watching. It looks _rough._ Like teeth marks. 

This wasn’t an accident. It couldn’t have been. There’s nothing on this ship that could have caused anything close to this! The engines, Xisuma understands. But the _kitchen?_ No, this... this is the work of a _beast._

Tango yells in frustration, and Etho looks anywhere but at Beef. Xisuma catches Zedaph running off to the bathrooms, and Cub turns Scar away from the scene, pulling him into a tight hug. 

Xisuma clears his throat. “Did...” He takes a deep breath, which he regrets almost immediately. “Did anybody see what happened?” He asks.

“What do you mean, ‘see what happened’?! We’re in _danger,_ X!” Tango snaps. “Beef _clearly_ hasn’t respawned either, I thought you were on that?!”

“I _am,_ I’m still working on it. It’s tricky, nothing appears to be wrong or tampered with-”

“I don’t want to see anybody else die, Xisuma,” Tango interrupts. “You get back into your admin room and fix this as soon as possible. Someone will have to cover for Beef’s tasks as well, shit.” Tango appears to be rambling, now. “We can’t lose anybody else, X. This ship needs a functioning crew. We need to protect ourselves!”

This isn’t like Tango, Xisuma thinks. This isn’t like him at all.

Xisuma opens his mouth to question him, but Cub jumps between them. He puts a hand on Xisuma’s shoulder, with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Go. We’ll get Beef to the infirmary,” He says. “I’ll run a scan on his body and see if we can find out more. Whoever is taking over for Beef will bring you a plate of food in a bit. Okay?”

Xisuma sighs. “Yeah, good. That sounds good.” He turns around, preparing himself for another long day digging through data and looking at nothing but screens. 

He looks back. “Thank you, Cub.” And then disappears into his office again.

Time passes by both slower and faster than expected. Around noon Zedaph pokes his head into the room, knocking on the half-open door.

“Hey X,” He says, stepping inside. He’s carrying a plate of warm lunch: mashed potatoes, pork, and chopped carrots. He sets it next to the huge pile of documents that Xisuma has yet to put into the system. He’s so far behind on his regular tasks, trying to figure out a way to bring the somehow not-respawning hermits back. He just hopes that the scans Cub promised to run come back with useful information soon, so that they can sort this whole mess out and laugh about it like it was nothing. 

But... Something’s still nagging at Xisuma’s thoughts. It’s not just the fact that they haven’t respawned, but that something _killed_ them in the first place. Something that could still be on the ship. That probably very likely still _is_ on the ship. Add that on top of the pile, Xisuma chuckles dryly and shakes his head. He turns his attention back to Zedaph, who is staring at him with quite the questioning look.

“Thank you, Zed,” Xisuma says, making space on his desk for the plate. “I take it you’re our chef for the time being?”

Zedaph nods, a genuine smile appearing on his face. “Sorry I ran off earlier, it’s just- the sight... and the _smell..._ But everything’s clean now, and I’ll try my best to not disappoint!” He gives a salute, his shoulders rising and falling in laughter. He’s... surprisingly cheerful considering everything that had happened in just the past two days.

Xisuma shakes his head and takes his helmet off, quickly digging into the potatoes. He hasn’t had breakfast this morning, and he’s been working up quite the appetite with all the extra thinking his brain has been doing.

It doesn’t taste as rich as Beef’s cooking. A little bland, perhaps, but Xisuma isn’t sure if that’s actually because of Zedaph’s skills or if it’s just the stress. Maybe it’s Xisuma’s own overall mood affecting the taste, who knows. Either way, it’ll be good to not work on an empty stomach, Xisuma reasons. The faster he gets this food down the faster he’ll be able to get back to work.

“Don’t overwork yourself, now,” Zedaph says, offering an awkward pat on his shoulder.

Xisuma puts his utensils down. “I _have_ to, Zed. We’ve got to keep this ship in running order.”

“Well... That might be true, but we need _you_ in running order as well, don’t forget that.” Zedaph’s eyes squint shut as he smiles, turning on his feet and walking back to, Xisuma assumes, Communications. Looks like Zedaph’s working two jobs now as well, though he appears to be handling it pretty well so far. Xisuma hopes this isn’t putting too much strain on his crewmates. On his _friends._

He scoops another spoonful of potatoes into his mouth, and turns to get back to work. He won’t even have the time to do his daily rounds around the ship at this rate, Xisuma realizes. He’ll just have to trust everybody to be doing okay.

That evening (really, terms like these are meaningless in space, but Xisuma insisted that they adhere to them to keep a routine, a schedule, more easily), Xisuma meets the other, remaining hermits in the cafeteria. Etho looks to be doing a bit better than yesterday, which Xisuma quickly learns is because of the fact that Tango has been helping him out with the lower engine.

Zedaph’s cooking skills still pale in comparison to what Beef would have been able to whip up, but Xisuma is grateful for him and everything he does nonetheless. After such a traumatic sight it’s a wonder any of them are still able to function as they did before, really.

Still, the mood between everybody is... off. It feels tense, somehow. Xisuma catches Scar whispering to Cub, and Tango gives Xisuma a strange look, before quickly turning away. Xisuma just focuses on the food on his plate, and the tasks on his metaphorical plate at hand. 

He practically shovels his food inside his mouth before walking over to Cub to ask about the scans. They should be compiled and ready by tomorrow morning, he says. Xisuma thanks him and heads back to his admin quarters. Time to catch up on all the work he has left sitting on his desk all day.

Xisuma goes to bed way later than planned that night, a heavy sense of dread settling in his stomach. He can’t help but feel that _something_ is about to happen and he’ll just be powerless to stop it. Or unaware, or asleep, when he should have been there to protect the hermits. That’s the whole reason he’s here, dammit! To keep the hermits _safe!_ He’s here because of his exceptional skills with the code, and he can’t even find, let alone fix a glitch to save his friends’ lives!

Despite everything, despite the oncoming headache, Xisuma manages to fall asleep.

The following morning he meets everybody, alive and well, in the cafeteria.

Xisuma eats, Cub hands him the results of the scans, and they all go on their way. 

Zedaph stops by his office again later that day, another plate of food in hand. 

“Hey X, you didn’t show up at lunchtime, so I figured you might be here. Everything alright?”

Xisuma looks at the clock. _Crap,_ is it that late already? Did he really work all the way through lunch? 

“I- I didn’t worry you, did I?” Xisuma asks, slumping back in his chair. It’s only been a few days and he’s already completely lost track of time.

Zedaph shakes his head. “A little bit, maybe, but we know you’re just trying to look out for us. Don’t overwork yourself, okay? Stress won’t do anyone any good.”

Xisuma nods, knowing full well that he’s going to _have to_ overwork himself if they want this ship to safely get to the Hermiton Space Station in one piece.

“How about you, though?” Xisuma asks. “Working two jobs at once can’t be any less stressful than what I’m doing right now.”

“Oh, I manage. Cooking isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, and I can do some minor tasks as I’m waiting for the broth to simmer, so there’s that.” Zedaph sets the plate down in front of Xisuma, and he begins to pick at the food with his fork.

“Speaking of, Etho told me that he went on patrol last night.”

Xisuma chokes on a piece of carrot. “He did _what?”_

“He wanted to check things out, since the last two... _incidents_ presumably happened during the night as well.”

“That’s incredibly dangerous! What the hell is he thinking?!” Xisuma jumps up.

“But he’s fine! Right?! You saw him this morning!” Zedaph tries to push Xisuma back into his seat. Xisuma lets him, after a moment.

“...Still. I’m going to have a word with him this afternoon, when I check up on everybody. We can’t afford to lose anybody else.”

“I know,” Zedaph says. “I think he’s trying to look out for us, as well.”

“He should look out for himself, first,” Xisuma grumbles, and Zedaph makes his way back to the door.

“You tell me if something’s wrong, right?” Xisuma asks. “Anything at all, anything out of the ordinary. I want you to report it to me right away.”

Zedaph nods, and in the shifting light Xisuma barely catches the bags under Zedaph’s eyes.

“Make sure to get some extra rest if you can, as well. You look like you need it,” He adds.

Zedaph nods again, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. “So do you!” He retorts, walking out into the hallway.

Xisuma turns his attention back to the documents and screens in front of him, idly picking at the food Zedaph brought him. 

And it looks like he’s making decent progress, for once. The stack of papers from yesterday is considerably smaller, and the results from the scans that Cub brought him are already being processed, stagnating at 79%.

When the scans are nearly done Xisuma decides that it’s about time for a break. It’s about time for him to stretch his legs for a bit and make his rounds, anyway. Catching up with people sounds just lovely right about now.

And all seems relatively well. Xisuma is heading up the corridor from Communications up to Navigation, where Cub has been working his butt off to steer the ship in the right direction for the past... however long they’ve been on this ship. Weeks? Months? It- It... 

...

It takes a moment for Xisuma’s brain to catch up to what his eyes see.

Cub isn’t in his seat. He’s on the floor, and Cub is... he’s _bleeding._ There are bite marks on his arms, torn right through his spacesuit.

Xisuma runs up to where he’s collapsed onto the floor. He _can’t_ be dead. He can’t be, he can’t be he can’t be he can’t-

“X...?” Cub huffs.

“Cub! Oh, goodness me, you’re still here!” Xisuma quickly grabs his communicator out of his pocket, and alerts the entire crew.

“Scar, Zed, get to Nav immediately. Etho, prepare the med bay, Tango, take over for Etho. This is bad.”

Not a moment too late do Scar and Zedaph run into the room. Zedaph gasps, bringing his hands in front of his mouth. Scar’s eyes go wide, and he drops down next to Cub and him.

“He... he’s not... ?” Scar’s voice is shaking.

“No, I’m still here,” Cub says, his voice straining.

“Scar, I need you to take over navigation. Zedaph and I will take Cub to the med bay, and-”

“No. Let me stay with him. Please,” Scar’s voice suddenly having found its strength.

“Scar, you’re the only one besides Cub who knows how to work this thing-”

“Put the shields up and turn autopilot on, I don’t care. I’m not leaving Cub’s side!”

Xisuma can’t fight with him now. They can’t afford to.

“Fine,” He sighs. “Zed, you heard him. Get the shields.” Zedaph nods firmly and runs off. Xisuma just barely notices the blood on Zedaph’s suit. Did he-? No. _No,_ this isn’t him. He shouldn’t think of his friends like that. Zedaph’s just been working in the kitchen, that’s all. That’s _all._

“Help me get him up,” Xisuma says to Scar, and they get to work.

They successfully bring Cub to the med bay, where Etho has a bed ready for him. Only once he’s got a health potion hooked up to his blood system does Xisuma feel like he can breathe again. It won’t heal Cub completely, but it will keep him stable.

“Cub, do you think you can talk? I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Xisuma says. Scar is sitting next to him, and Etho has gone back to the reactor. The ship doesn’t feel as smooth as it usually does when they’re traveling, but that’s because of the auto-pilot, Xisuma knows.

Cub nods weakly.

“Did you see what happened? Did you see what attacked you?”

Cub hums, but shakes his head. “It attacked from behind, I only caught a glimpse of it. When the shock wore off and I could turn around it disappeared into the vents. It was... It was _large.”_

Xisuma closes his eyes in thought. The vents, huh? It’d make sense for something to use those as its hiding place. _Hunting_ place, rather. The vents connect every area of the ship together. But... they can’t close them off. They need the vents for oxygen. But if they keep letting the... the monster roam around freely, then... 

Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

“Xisuma,” Scar speaks up.

“Yeah?”

“What if... what if it’s one of us? Who else would know the ship well enough to hide away? You were right around the corner when the so-called ‘monster’ disappeared! What if Impulse’s death wasn’t an accident? The night Etho did his rounds nothing happened, that’s suspicious, right? What if-?”

“Scar, _stop,”_ Xisuma says. “Look at those bite marks. They’re not human. It _can’t_ have been any of us. We can’t go and accuse our fellow crewmates of things like this when we so desperately need each other in a crucial time like this.”

Scar looks down at his feet.

“...But what if this monster is pretending to _be_ one of us? I... I know it sounds ridiculous, but-”

“-Scar.”

“...”

Xisuma shakes his head. “I’ll have everybody run a full-body scan in the morning, okay? Would that ease your worries?”

Scar nods hesitantly.

“Good. Now, let’s let Cub get some rest.”

Scar nods again, but it takes a moment longer for him to get up from his seat.

Xisuma turns the light off as they leave the room, Cub already having dozed off. They walk into the cafeteria, where Etho and Tango appear to be arguing with each other, as Zedaph drags out a cart of freshly prepared food.

Xisuma doesn’t feel hungry at all. 

As he pokes at his food he overhears how Etho expresses his worries to Tango. They’ve been working together on the engines to keep the ship running, and haven’t had the chance to see much of what is going on in the rest of the ship the past few days.

“I’m telling you, he always sneaks into the room whenever he gets the chance!” Etho whisper-yells. “You’re seen how he acted when we found Beef. It _has_ to be him.”

“I know,” Tango sighs. “But this is _Scar,_ we’re talking about, here. He’d never do something like that.”

_...Scar?_ Xisuma tries not to show that he’s listening.

But unfortunately he isn’t the only one who heard Scar’s name being mentioned.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Scar says, two tables over.

Tango and Etho look up. “...Nothing.”

“No, no, I want to hear it.” Scar gets up. “Accusing me for what that monster did to Cub? For what _you_ did to Cub?”

“Whoa, wait, I-” Tango tries to calm the situation, but Etho bites back.

“I’m not saying _you_ did it, Scar,” He snaps. “I’m saying that it’s highly suspicious how you visit Cub during work hours, every single day, and somehow _Xisuma_ was the one who found him like that?! Tell me how that happened, storage boy.”

“Hey, this is no time to be accusing each other. _Or_ calling names!” Zedaph jumps in between Scar and Etho. “There’s a monster on the loose and we need to stick together!”

“Exactly! He’s a monster!” Scar points his finger at Etho. “You really want me to believe that Etho’s keeping the reactor in check? Who knows what kinds of plans he’s scheming on his own back there!”

“Calm down, Scar. Tango is with Etho most of the time, he-”

“They’re in cahoots! They’re both killers!” Scar snaps back. “They tried to flee through the vents when they saw Xisuma nearby! And now they’re trying to pin it on me!”

Etho gets up from his seat, and Xisuma quickly jumps in between them before things can get physical. 

“Guys! We don’t need to fight! Scar, the vent systems are way too small for a human to climb through. And Etho, we have no proof whatsoever of this. Let’s not antagonize each other for no reason.”

Scar and Etho look at each other with narrowed eyes.

“We need to be able to trust each other if we’re going to make it to the Hermiton Station in time. Cub’s injured, so we’re already losing time there. Scar, I need you to steer the ship until Cub’s in better condition.

“But-” Scar protests, but Xisuma cuts him off.

“I know. But Cub’s in good hands. The sooner we get to the station, the sooner we can get him proper care.”

“...You’re right. Okay.”

“Etho, Tango, I appreciate everything you do to keep this ship running. I know we’re all tired and stressed because of everything, but let’s not add any unnecessary stress to that, alright?”

The two of them nod silently.

“Thank you. Now, let’s get back to the food. Zed did his best cooking for us, let’s show him some gratitude.”

The hermits all go back to their seats, Etho across from Tango, and Scar next to Zedaph. Xisuma goes back to his seat, poking at his food. 

That night Xisuma is woken up by an alarm. It takes a moment for his mind to register the sound and to connect it to the appropriate actions he needs to take.

_Oxygen._

Xisuma rushes out of his bed and runs toward the emergency panel in his room, hoping that someone near the oxygen supply room can get the other one in time. He enters the code that he memorized by heart, and the alarm turns off.

Xisuma sighs deeply, and stumbles back to bed, quickly falling back asleep.

The next morning they find Scar, dead in the med bay, next to Cub’s body.

Zedaph reported it when he woke up early to get breakfast ready, on his way to the cafeteria. Scar has the same bite marks on his body as Cub does, only this time it looks like it succeeded in ripping large chunks of flesh from his body.

Xisuma is speechless.

Zedaph and Tango look at each other, and Etho takes a few steps away from the three of them. 

This is bad. This is really, _really_ bad.

Not only did they lose _two_ hermits, but they have no hope of getting to the Hermiton Space Station in time. None of the remaining hermits can fly this ship, let alone do so whilst taking care of all the other machines that require delicate care.

They’re stranded. In the middle of nowhere. On board of a battered and bruised, shoddy ship with a dangerous monster or alien or _something_ on board.

“Tango...? “ Etho says.

“Y-yes?” Tango shakes his head. “Yeah?”

“Those vents lead right into Electrical, right?” Etho asks.

“...Do they?”

“You work in Electrical,” Etho states.

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“And you didn’t hear _anything_ during the night?” 

“Besides the alarm, no. I was running my butt off to get to Oxygen in time! I wasn’t even _in_ Electrical at all after that!” Tango says.

“Seems awfully convenient.”

“Well it’s the truth! I’m just as stumped as you are!”

“Guys, let’s not dwell on it right now,” Zedaph interjects. “I’m not particularly hungry, but we need to eat. We need to keep up our energy. We need to clean this mess.”

Etho opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but decides not to.

Xisuma motions for everybody to leave the med bay. “You guys go ahead, I’ll get right back to work, I’ll see if I can contact the Hermiton Station from here, tell them about what happened. Maybe they can send a rescue ship.”

The hermits nod, and turn left where Xisuma turns right to get back to his office. He stops in front of the entrance. The ship feels awfully quiet without everybody else. It feels too large, too empty.

Xisuma shivers. It feels like... like the other hermits are still here, somehow. Watching over his shoulder, following his every move. Waiting for him to fix respawn so they can come back.

Xisuma hopes that they won’t have to wait for long.

In either case, Xisuma has no luck in contacting the station yet, and after another useless few hours poured into looking at the code, Xisuma decides to head over to Storage, to take over Scar’s job as well. It’s tough physical work, but a nice distraction from all the sitting he’s been doing the past few days. He can see the effort Scar has been pouring into the sorting system, which now lays abandoned, cluttering up the entire space. Such a shame.

Xisuma comes back to his office, where a now cold plate of food has been placed on his desk. Zedaph, always taking care of everybody.

The atmosphere on the whole ship feels tense. Still, Xisuma pushes on. He checks in on all the remaining hermits, he tries his very best to keep on top of tasks, and as a result of that he barely sleeps. It’s tough, he wasn’t trained for this. None of them were trained for situations like this, much less so with so much stress and so little rest.

Over the next few days or so (Xisuma can barely tell the days apart anymore), nothing seems to happen. Xisuma catches himself napping throughout the day just to be able to get some sleep in. 

They’ve had a few more scares in the middle of the night. The power suddenly going out is one thing, but the reactor going off really gave everybody a fright. Etho was taking care of the lower engine, so Tango and Xisuma had to rush in to stabilize it, after which Etho apologized profusely, even if Xisuma told him that it wasn’t his fault.

Xisuma feels like he’s losing himself. But he has to hold on. Maybe, if they get to the Hermiton Station in time, they’ll be able to stabilize their code and let everybody respawn again. At least, Xisuma hopes that that will do the trick. It _has_ to be some kind of glitch, something that someone with more knowledge than him has to look at. 

At least Zedaph’s been able to get a hold of the main Station, and told them that there’s a ship on the way. They just have to hold out. Hold on until rescue arrives. But the way Zedaph quietly confessed that he’s scared that he’ll be next... Xisuma had hugged him tightly, and told him that everything would be alright. He promised to keep his crew safe, and he’ll make sure that nothing happens to them going forward.

They’re just trying to survive, now. If only Xisuma had more time to figure everything out, if only he had enough eyes to watch all around the ship at once. If only they had enough hands to keep everything running smoothly. They’ve had multiple power outages, now. Tango is somehow always away from electrical when it happens, causing everybody to stumble around in the dark until someone resets the breaker. Not only hampering their progress in tasks, but also sending Xisuma, at least, straight into the fear that he might be grabbed and caught by the beast at any moment, afraid that the hermits won’t find his body until days later. He lies awake at night, helmet at the ready just in case something goes wrong.

Xisuma is tired. He started wearing his suit 24/7 since things just happen to go wrong at any moment. He needs to know the layout of the ship like the back of his hand should the power go out and he needs to fix it. He has to be ready to run to the reactor to stabilize it at a moment's notice. 

Etho, Tango, and Zedaph are all overworked and scared and still mourning the loss of their friends. Their crewmates. They still haven’t come back. Their bodies are decomposing. Etho mentioned throwing them off the ship, but Zedaph panicked at that and said that they couldn’t possibly do that.

Eventually the stress gets the better of them all, and Tango screams that he’s had enough of it all.  
“I can’t take it anymore!” He yells. “It feels like I’m just waiting to be murdered! It’s torture!”

He stomps off to the nearest vent.

“I’m finding that monster, and I’m _killing_ it,” He says firmly.

Xisuma runs after him, trying to get Tango to stop. “You can’t do that! It’s dangerous! No monster that big can possibly fit through the vents, please, you’ll only hurt yourself!”

“Cub said it disappeared into the vents, right? It can’t just be... _gone,_ can it?”

Then Zedaph storms into the room, a huge smile on his face. “Good news! The Hermiton Station contacted us again, they’ll be here within two days! They said to... Tango, what are you doing?”

Before Tango can say anything Xisuma speaks up. “He’s wanting to crawl into the vents to find that beast and try and kill it.” 

“That’s ridiculous!” Zedaph exclaims. “Tango, you’re not risking your life like that. We’re almost safe!”

Tango shakes his head. “I can’t spend one more sleepless night knowing that that thing is out here, biding its time. Just waiting to pounce and kill any one of us. I’m not taking any chances, the sooner that that monster is gone, the better.”

Eventually, together with Zedaph, Xisuma manages to discourage Tango from crawling into the vents and into his death. If the monster didn’t get him, the rapidly spinning ventilation blades definitely will. Tango apologizes for his little outburst, and Zedaph accompanies him to Electrical to finish the last of his seemingly meaningless tasks. They haven’t seen Etho all day.

Two days, 48 hours. Their surviving finally has an end goal. All the work they’ve put into keeping themselves alive, into keeping the ship running. The Hermiton Space Station is coming to get them. Just two more days. They can do this. They’ve survived for so long, now. This should be a piece of cake. It should be easy. It should be _easy._

Xisuma walks back to his office and cracks a small smile, the first one in a long, long time. He goes to bed, feeling good about the situation. Despite everything, they’re going to make it through. He knows. Everything will be alright.

Until Xisuma finds himself kneeling next to Tango’s mauled, bloody body in Security, the very next day.

It’s cruel. 

This monster isn’t just evil. It’s _cruel._

Xisuma feels numb. 

He holds Tango’s body close, trying to listen for any sign of life, _anything_ that tells him that Tango can make it through. That he can still be saved.

Xisuma doesn’t know when he contacted the others, but at some point Etho walks into the room behind him. 

“Xisuma?”

His voice is cold. 

“...”

“You’re awfully calm for discovering a body, X,” Etho says.

“I... I don’t-” Xisuma stutters. He turns around to face Etho, when Zedaph comes running in as well.

He drops to the floor, shaking hands reach up to remove his helmet. Tears drip down his face.

Xisuma reaches out to Zedaph. To comfort him, to hold him, to hug him, but Etho interrupts.

“It’s Xisuma,” He says. “He killed everybody.”

Xisuma’s head snaps back to Etho. 

“What-?” Zedaph says, speaking between quiet sobs. “What do you mean?”

“It’s obvious.” Etho’s voice sounds ever so slightly unstable. “He had us all fooled, and I _know_ I should have said something sooner, but now it’s clear. I went on patrol during the night again and he wasn’t in his room. It’s him.”

“That makes no sense!” Zedaph voices Xisuma’s own thoughts. “We know _nothing!_ We don’t even know if it _is_ one of us!”

Xisuma wants them to stop yelling. He wants to speak up, but his throat feels constricted. He can’t speak, he can’t make any sound at all.

Is Etho trying to pin Zedaph against him? _Why?_ This... this isn’t like Etho at all. 

“There’s _blood_ on his hands, Zedaph!” He yells. There’s not a hint of a smile in Etho’s voice.

“Shut up!” Zedaph yells back. Etho takes a step into the room, but Zedaph motions for him to stay back.

“Don’t come any closer,” He says. “Tango is _dead_ and _this_ is how you choose to act? We need to keep his body safe until the Hermiton Station can get to us. We need to keep the ship running until then. We need... we need to...” Zedaph trails off, his voice cracking, eyes threatening to spill more tears. Xisuma reaches out again and this time Etho lets him. Xisuma pulls Zedaph into a hug.

He holds Zedaph tightly as he cries. Etho watches them with wary eyes.

“There’s no way Xisuma did this,” Zedaph says after a few moments, taking a few deep breaths. “He couldn’t have. He’s not a _monster.”_

Etho takes a few steps closer, arm reaching out to the two of them. When he almost touches Zedaph’s shoulder he quickly swats Etho’s hand away.

“Don’t touch me! Get away!”

Etho recoils and holds his hand up defensively.

Still, there’s something to Etho’s posture that Xisuma can’t quite place. Etho is never this... this _desperate._ He’s breathing heavily. His eyes follow Xisuma and Zedaph’s movements like a hawk. Or perhaps like a rabbit. Like _prey._

Xisuma recalls the strange way Etho has been acting since this all started happening. Not just paranoid, but almost... apathetic. Distant. Etho didn’t hear Impulse, despite working right next to him. Etho stopped laughing. He stopped showing his _teeth._ Hell, Etho’s been doing nightly patrols and somehow never got hurt, but Tango _did?_ And now he’s trying to lure Zedaph away from Xisuma. He’s trying to drive them apart. So he can kill them? Is that it? Has it been Etho all along? Was Etho the _first-?_

Is this his attempt at trying to regain their trust? Is this the monster trying to seem human in its last moments, in a desperate attempt not to get caught? Xisuma holds Zedaph closer. He isn’t safe. They aren’t safe with Etho so close by.

“Zedaph,” Etho says. “You have to trust me. That’s not Xisuma. Not anymore. We have to get to safety.”

Zedaph wriggles himself loose from Xisuma’s grip, and turns around to meet Etho's eyes.

“How _can_ I trust you, Etho? Did you see him? Did you _see_ Xisuma kill?”

“No, but, there’s no other way. There’s no other explanation, he-”

“There’s plenty of other explanations!” Zedaph says. “We know so little and yet you’re bent on the fact that Xisuma is some sort of alien monster! I don’t get it! What are you _saying?!”_

Xisuma clears his throat. It feels raw. The two other hermits turn to look at him.

He hates to do this. But Xisuma _knows_ that he hasn’t got any other choice.

“Etho,” He says. Etho looks at him. Tense. Cornered.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” Xisuma says. _Accuses._ “You’re trying to pin the murders on somebody else. You’re trying to gain Zedaph’s trust so that you can kill us both separately. I don’t know what you’re planning on doing but it’s not going to work.”

Zedaph jumps up and backs away a few paces.

“I don’t know how I didn’t see it from the start. I can’t believe I failed everybody like that.” Xisuma gets up as well. “But it ends here. Zedaph, what do you think?”

Zedaph looks between Etho and Xisuma. Eyes wide, Tango’s blood on his suit.

“I- I...”

“Zed, you don’t want to do this,” Etho almost begs. “It’s all on you. If we don’t do something right now we’ll both die.” His voice sounds shaky. He’s caught. He’s _panicking._

Etho moves again, but Xisuma rushes to stand in between him and Zedaph. They might have blown his cover, but they’re not safe yet. They don’t know what kind of monster he is. They don’t know what they’re up against.

“Zedaph?” Xisuma asks again.

“I... I think we should lock him up. The Hermiton Station will know how to deal with him properly,” Zedaph says. Xisuma nods.

“Wait-!” Etho turns to run but Xisuma grabs him, pushes him face-first against the wall. Zedaph kicks himself into action and pins Etho’s arms behind his back. They lead him away, wary. Cautious. Etho kicks and squirms in Xisuma’s grip, but he doesn’t let go. If he lets go they’ll all die, he’s sure of it. Zedaph opens the door to Electrical, and Xisuma pushes Etho inside, as much as it hurts.

\----

Xisuma closes the door from the outside. Etho bangs against it, pounds at the small window that allows him to see outside the room.

He catches Zedaph staring at him, who looks away almost immediately, who reaches out for Xisuma again, who lets himself be enveloped into a hug again.

Etho doesn’t want to watch. But it’s all he can do. He can’t peel his eyes away from the sight of Xisuma opening his mouth. Way, _way_ too far. Splitting his face in two, rows and rows of sharp teeth digging into Zedaph’s shoulder, ripping right through his spacesuit as if it’s nothing.

Etho is speechless.

He was right. It _was_ Xisuma. He killed them all.

Beef. Cub. Scar. Tango.

He murdered them. Ripped them apart and feasted on their flesh. It was Xisuma. Their own admin, the one person they thought they could trust.

Etho was too late. Zedaph’s a goner, and when X is done he’s going to kill _him,_ too.

Xisuma snarls. Etho can hear it through the metal walls. He _snarls_ and _growls_ and Zedaph _screams_ and all Etho can do is watch. 

He could have done something. He _should_ have done something. He should have said something earlier. He could have prevented this. He could have-

How long has this been going on? Was Impulse one of Xisuma’s victims as well? How long has Xisuma had them all tricked into thinking that they were going to be alright? 

No, that... That’s not Xisuma anymore. It can’t be. Xisuma would never-

Etho watches as Zedaph’s body is dropped to the floor. Motionless.

Xisuma turns to face Etho. Bright red eyes peer right into his soul. 

Xisuma reaches for the panel to unlock the door.

He grins.

**Author's Note:**

> ....  
> That certainly was something :')
> 
> Special thanks to the NHO gang for being awesome and making this secret santa exchange come to life <3
> 
> This came out way longer than expected, but I hope you didn't mind!! Thank you so so much for reading, let me know what you thought?


End file.
